Apparatus for automatically transferring rib borders and the like in a knitting machine



June 20, 1967 G. KUHNERT 3,326,018

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY TRANSFERRING RIB BORDERS AND THE LIKE IN A KNITTING MACHINE Flled June 14 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet l ual (D FJ...

|N\(ENToR. GOTTFRIED KUHNERT BY www M Mm AGENTS June 20, 1967 Filed June 14, 1965 G. KUHNERT 3,326,018

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY TRANSFERRING RIB BORDERS AND THE LIKE IN A KNITTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 l Y /l l INYIENTOR. GOTTFRIED KUHNERT BYmmaw/wm AGENTS June 20. 1967 G. KUHNERT 3,326,018

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY TRANSFERRING RIB BORDERS AND THE LIKE IN A KNITTINGMACHINE Filed June 14, 1965 '.5 Sheets-Sheet 3 lbll'VENTOR. GOTTFRIED KUHNERT BYMMMMM AGENTS United States Patent O 3,326,018 APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY TRANSFER- RING RIB BORDERS AND THE LIKE IN A KNIT- TING MACHINE Gottfried Kuhnert, Reichenbach, Westhausen, Germany, assigner to Universal Maschinenfabrik Dr. Rudolf Schieber G.m.b.H., Westhausen, Germany Filed .lune 14, 1965, Ser. No. 463,664 Claims priority, application Germany, `lune 15, 1964, U 10,817 9 Claims. (Cl. 66-64) This invention relates to flat knitting machines, and particularly to a device for transferring rib borders whose last course includes double stitches to a supporting element for further processing, for example, in a full-fashioned machine.

Knitted rib borders and l/l borders are commonly formed on flat knitting machines, They are then transferred to the needle bed of a flat full-fashioned knitting machine. It is common practice to transfer the border by hand from the needles of a rib knitting machine to a transfer bar. This is a laborious and relatively costly procedure.

The manual transfer of the border is relatively easy when the number of stitches in the last course of the border is equal to the number of needles in the first course of the full-fashioned machine because a stitch is then available for each needle. The knitted goods produced in such a manner are often unsatisfactory, however, because the knitted border is highly resilient and shrinks. It is therefore customary to knit the lborder -with more stitches per course than there are needles available on the fullfashioned machine. The operator lhas to transfer two stitches of the border to a single needle of the transfer bar at regular intervals. Typically, every fifth needle of the transfer bar receives t-wo stitches. This type of transfer operation is called doublingj and is particularly expensive when carried out by hand.

Known transfer devices in flat knitting machines automatically double the stitches of the last border course. A knitting machine of type DUJA equipped for doubling is described and illustrated, for example, in the October 1963 issue of Wirkereiund Strickerei-Technik (Prost & Meiner-Verlag, 863 Coburg-Bavaria, Germany). The stitches of the last border course are transferred in the known V-bed Imachine from a front needle bed to a rear needle bed in such a manner that every third stitch, for example, is transferred to a needle of the rear bed which already carries a .previously transferred stitch and is offset relative to the needle of the front bed on which the stitch was formed. The remaining front stitches are then transferred to the empty needles -of the rear needle bed to facilitate the subsequent manual operation. Every sixth needle of the rear needle bed then lacks a stitch, and there is a gap in the course. The number of needles carrying stitches, corresponds to the number of needles in the full-fashioned machine.

It is the object of this invention to avoid manual labor when a border including doubled stitches is to be transferred from the V-bed knitting machine on which the border lwas knitted.

With this object and others in view, as will hereinafter become apparent, the invention provides a sinker bed and a plurality of sinkers or similar implements which are elongated in a com-mon direction and are juxtaposed on the sinker 4bed in a direction transverse of the common direction of elongation. The sinkers constitute several juxtaposed groups and are uniformly spaced within each group in the aforementioned transverse direction.

Moving means are provided for moving the groups in the transverse direction between a closely packed posi- Patented June 20, 1967 tion in which the spacing of the groups from each other is equal to that of the sinkers lwithin the groups, and a gapped position in which the groups are farther removed from each other.

Other features and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood lby reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. l shows a sinker bed and associated devices in a transfer apparatus of the invention in top plan View;

FIG. 2 shows the apparatus of FIG. 1 in section on the line II-II;

FIG. 3 shows the device of FIG. 1 in section on the line III-III;

FIG. 4 shows the apparatus of FIG. 1 in a corresponding view and in a different operational position;

FIG. 5 is a section-al view taken on the line V-V in FIG. 4 and corresponding to FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken -on the line VI-VI in FIG. 4 and corresponding to FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 shows as much of a flat knitting machine equipped with the transfer apparatus of FIGS. 1 to 6 as is necessary for an understanding of the invention, the view being in side-elevational section and on a scale substantially smaller than that of FIGS. 1 to 6.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, and initially to FIG. 7, there is shown a portion of the stationary frame 31 of a at rib knitting machine whose front needle bed 21 and rear needle bed 22 carry latch needles 32, only one latch needle of each bed being seen in FIG. 7. The -frarne 31 also carries a sinker Ibed 1 which is at the core of this invention and will presently be described in more detail.

A carriage 25 moves along the needle beds 21, 22 during knitting and carries the knitting cams, not shown in the drawing. A cam shaft 27 is journaled in the frame 31 and extends along the needle beds. The shaft 27 is connected to the main drive of the knitting machine in a manner not further illustrated. It carries several cams 28 of which only one is shown in the drawing for the sake of simplicity. The cams 28 actuate movements of associated rockers 29, 30. One set of rockers 29 releasably carries a transfer bar 26 and moves the bar in synchronization with other operations of the machine.

FIGS. l, 2, and 3 show the sinker bed 1 and associated devices after the transfer of the last course of a knitted border from the needles 32 of the rear needle bed 22 to the sinkers 3. The drawing shows only 25 sinkers 3 for the sake of simplicity. Groups of five sinkers are longitudinally slidable on respective carriers 2, 4, 7 and the live carriers illustrated are juxtaposed in a row and movable relative to each other on the sinker bed 1 transversely of the direction of elongation of the sinkers 3. As best seen in FIG. 3, the sinkers are guided inv slots 2' of the carriers.

The last carrier 6 of the row is lixedly fastened to a bar 5 which is a fixed portion of the sinker bed 1. The range of movement of the carriers is limited by the width of a longitudinal groove 6 in the underside of each carrier -in which a rib 6 of a juxtaposed carrier is movably received. The first carrier 7 of the row is provided with two stops 3, 9 which are aligned in 'the direction of sinker elongation and project downward through an aperture 8' in the sinker bed 1. A plunger box 10 mounted on the carriage 25 carries two plungers 11, 12 which are aligned for abutting engagement with the stops 8, 9 reespectively during carriage movement when the plungers are in the projecting position shown in FIG. 2 for the plunger 11. The plungers are urged outward of the box 10 by helical compression springs 9', and may be retracted against the restraint of their springs 9 by a control bar 24. A V-notch in the bar 24 has cam faces 24 for engagement with a transverse pin on each plunger 11, 12. Longitudinal movement of the bar 24 from the position shown in FIG. 2 thus causes the plunger 11 to be retracted.

The twenty-five sinkers 3 carry the last course 13 of an otherwise non-illustrated fabric border. Five of the sinkers 3, one on each carrier 2, 4, 7, carry double stitches 14. The gaps between the ca-rriers 2, 4, 7 are aligned with needles of the rear needle bed 22 which were free of stitches when the course 13 was transferred from the needle bed to the sinker bed 1. The transfe-r of the course 13 to the sinkers 3 is actuated in a known manner by a cam 18 mounted on the carriage 25, and shown in phantom view only in FIG. 1. The cam 18 engages butts 19 on the shafts of the sinkers 3.

As betterseen in FIG. 7, the cam 18 is mov-ably mounted on the carriage 25, and may be moved toward and away from an operative position by means of a control mechanism of which only a bar 23 is shown. The afore-described ba-r 24 is associated with the same control mechanism which may be manually operated or connected to the program source of the knitting machine, such as the Jacquard mechanism, in a known manner.

Control cams 16, 17 are mounted on the underside of the sinker bed 1 in line with the `stops 8, 9 respectively for engagement with the plungers 11, 12.

The apparatus described above is operated as follows:

When the course 13 including the double stitches 14 and the corresponding gaps 15 is receivedV on the sinkers 3, as shown in FIG. l, the plunger 141 is released from its retracted position by the control bar 24, as is also shown in FIG. 1. When the carriage moves from the left to the right, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plunger 11 abuts against the stop 8 and pushes the rst sinker carrier 7 against the adjacent carrier 2, thereby closing the rst gap 15. The second carrier 2 then participates in the movement toward the right until ultimately all the gaps 15 are closed, and the sinkers 3 assume the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. When this position is approached, the plunger 11 is displaced downward and away from the sinker bed 1 until it clears the stop 8 when all gaps 15 are closed. The control bar 24 may be shifted thereafter from the position shown in FIGS. 1 to block the plunger 11.

The thirty stitches of the border course 13 are now aligned with twenty-five uniformly spaced needles of the transfer bar 26 which is actuated by the c-am shaft 27 to receive the knitted border from the sinkers 3, and may be transferred ,to a full-fashioned machine for further processing after receiving one or more rib-knit borders.

The plunger 12 is released during knitting of the next border by the control bar 24 so that the stop 9 is enga-ged during the next movement of the plunger 12 with the carriage 25 from the right toward the left as viewed in FIG. 4. The rst sinker carrier 7 is thereby pulled away from the adjacent carrier 2, and ultimately the several gaps 15 are restored, the carriers are returned to the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the sinker bed 1 and its associated elements are ready to receive the last course of the next knitted border. The plunger 12 is depressed by the cam 17 as the carriers 2 approach the relative position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and ultimately clears the stop 9.

The sinker cam 18 is shifted to its operative position during transfer of the course 13 from the rear needle bed 22 to the sinkers 3 so as to move the sinkers longitudinally in sequence toward and away from the needles of the bed 22. When the border is to be transferred from the sinkers 3 to the transfer bar 26, the sinkers 3 are moved in unison by a shifting bar 20 arranged on the sinker bed 1 and actuated by the rocker 30 and an associated cam 28 on the shaft 27.

The sinker bed 1 is releasably mounted on the rear needle bed 22 by means of screws, not shown. Replacement of the screws by more quickly releasable fasteners makes it practical to eliminate the separate transfer bar 26, and to employ the sinker bed itself asy a transfer implement on which each knitted border is conveyed from the rib knitting to the full fashioned machine.

If removal of the sinker bed during normal knitting operations is contemplated, it is preferred to transfer more than one knitted border to the sinkers 3 before the carriers 2 are shifted from the gapped position shown in FIG. 1 to the closely packed position of FIG. -4.

It will be appreciated that the spacing of the groups of five sinkers 3 each of which are associated with the several carriers 2, 4, 7 is precisely equal to the uniform spacing of the sinkers within each group when the carriers and the groups are in the closely packed position shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. The spacing of the groups is precisely twice that uniform spacing in the gapped position of the carriers shown in IFIGS. 1 to 3.

The sinkers 3 are guided on the associated carrier-s in xed longitudinal paths. They may be moved sequentially in their respective paths by the cam 18 or jointly by the shifting bar 20. Movement of the carriers, .and of the groups of sinkers 3, in the transverse direction is actuatedA by the abutting engagement of the stops 8, 9 with the plungers 11, 12 during the two strokes of the reciprocating movement of the latter with the knitting machine carriage 25.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing ydisclosure relates only to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it is intended to cover all modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for transferring a course of stitches from the needles of a fiat knitting machine, in combination:

(a) a sinker rbed;

(b) a plurality of sinker means elongated in a common direction;

(c) a plurality of carriers arranged in a row extending on said bed in a direction transverse of said common direction and respectively carrying groups -of said sinker means, the sinker means of each group being uniformly spaced in said transverse direction; and

(d) moving means for moving Said carriers in said transverse direction t-oward and away from a closely packed position in which the spacing of said groups from each other is equal to said uniform spacing.

2. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, limiting means for limiting movement of said carriers in said transverse direction away from said closely packed to a gapped position in which the spacing of said groups from each other is an integral multiple of said Iuniform spacing.

3. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 2, the spacing of said groups in said gapped position being twice said uniform spacing.

-4. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, guide means on each carrier for guiding movement of each sinker means lof the associated group of sinker means in a xed path in said common direction, the xed path of each sinker means being spaced from the path of an adjacent sinker means of said group by said uniform spacing, and interengaging abutment means on each carrier and .another juxtaposed carrier for limiting relative movement of the carriers toward each 4other in said closely packed position, and lfor limiting relative movement of the carriers away from each other in another position in which the spacing of said associated groups is. an integral multiple of said uniform spacing.

5. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 4, vone terminal member of said row being fixedly fastened to said sinker bed.

6. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 5, stop means on the other terminal member of said row, plunger means,

actuating means for actuating reciprocating movement `of said plunger means in said transverse direction, and control means for moving said plunger means between a retracted and a projecting position, said plunger means when in said projecting position abuttingly engaging said stop means for moving said other terminal member in said transverse direction.

7. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 6, releasing means for releasing the abutting engagement between said stop means and said plunger means in said closely packed position of said carriers during one stroke of said reciprocating movement of said plunger means, and for releasing said abutting engagement in said other position of said carriers during the other stroke of said reciprocating movement.

8. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, additional moving means for moving said sinker means in said common direction.

9. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 8, said additional moving means including means for sequentially moving said sinker means in said common direction and means for jointly moving said sinker means in said common direction.

No references cited.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

R. FELDBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING A COURSE OF STITCHES FROM THE NEEDLES OF A FLAT KNITTING MACHINE, IN COMBINATION: (A) A SINKER BED; (B) A PLURALITY OF SINKER MEANS ELONGATED IN A COMMON DIRECTION; (C) A PLURALITY OF CARRIERS ARRANGED IN A ROW EXTENDING ON SAID BED IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE OF SAID COMMON DIRECTION AND RESPECTIVELY CARRYING GROUPS OF SAID SINKER MEANS, THE SINKER MEANS OF EACH GROUP BEING UNIFORMLY SPACED IN SAID TRANSVERSE DIRECTION; AND (D) MOVING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CARRIERS IN SAID TRANSVERSE DIRECTION TOWARD AND AWAY FROM A CLOSELY PACKED POSITION IN WHICH THE SPACING OF SAID GROUPS FROM EACH OTHER IS EQUAL TO SAID UNIFORM SPACING. 